MEYNELL VALVES LTD

4. The War Years: 1939 - 1945

True to our
historical pattern, the Company got very busy under the re-armament
programme of the 1930s.
This period was only marred on a family note when Lionel Meynell, who
had joined in 1931 as an apprentice in the Pattern Shop, left to join
the Royal Engineers in 1938.
His subsequent bravery after he was posted to the Bomb Disposal Unit
located in the Coventry area, at a time when the Luftwaffe were
endeavouring to knock out the engine and tank factories located there,
earned him the George Medal.
I believe this was the first one to be awarded in the Midlands.

Soon after his award he was asked to give a lecture to civilians in a
Wolverhampton cinema one evening and his father, Mr Charles Meynell, who
was Works Director at the time, was incognito in the audience.When the introduction was made - “Major Lionel Meynell GM will
speak on bomb precautions” -
a member of the audience in the seat next to Charles Meynell turned to
his wife and said: “I know them - their family runs a little sh*t shop
in Montrose Street”.So
much for the Meynell Empire as seen by others.

At the outbreak of the Ward in 1939 great importance was attached to
Civilian Defence for the Home Front and, judging by the lack of success
the country suffered in the early years, it was a wise move.Our Spitfires and Hurricanes were not too effective against night
bombing and the Ack Ack guns held little terror for the Luftwaffe’s
night bombers.Some bombs
fell in Wolverhampton but the real fear was for the incendiary bombs
which could devastate whole buildings or rows of houses once a fire was
started.

The Meynell Company building was over 100 years old and was full of
ancient wooden rafters, joists and floors which would have burned
merrily if ignited.A fire
watching team was organised on a nightly rota basis of 12 spotters, of
whom three were active (playing cards) and the other nine resplendent in
nine specially prepared sleeping bunks until it was time for the watch
to change on a three hourly basis.

Hugo Meynell was recruited to the Wolverhampton Area Firewatchers and
carried out a similar exercise on the roof of the Rock Hotel at the top
of Old Hill, Tettenhall from which there was a good view of most of the
outlying area.Air raid
shelters were built in Montrose Street and at the bottom of Lock Street.Of course everyone always had to take their Gas Masks with them
wherever they went.

Much of British history has been taken up by the wars which have been
waged and at the start of Hitler’s War in 1939 the Meynell Company was
told by its chief executive, Herbert Meynell, that “we will support our
country to the utmost and we will not take one penny profit out of this
War”.Very nearly all works’ production was for the war effort.He was true to his world and at the end of hostilities in 1945
the Company was in a poor state with all the machinery run down and worn
out.

In 1944 Herbert was still actively running the Company on a daily basis
and when he died aged 87 he had served in the Company for 71 years. Charles
Meynell became Chairman.

During the War the Company was on the Supply Contracts List for the
Ministry of Supply, Air Ministry, Navy and had supplied the special taps
for the mobile water carriers used by the Eighth Army when General
Montgomery beat Rommel’s notorious Panzer Corps at El Alamein, which was
when the British achieved their first really substantial battle win. For
the Air Force many of the fighter bases for the Battle of Britain air
planes had the Company’s standard plumbing fittings of taps, ball
valves, steam traps, unions, etc as did the later Bomber Air Bases and
their general support bases.
One of the naval requirements, which was unusual, was for a purpose
designed flexible coupling with special flange connections used for
submarine refuelling under water and this was designed and made for the
Admiralty.

At the end of the War most of those Company personnel who had served in
the Forces returned to their normal life.One was Peter Walker who had been called up when he had just
joined us from school and was, thus, in a very junior position in the
stockroom.He returned,
after War Service, having risen to a Major in the Army but came to the
Directors to ask for his old job back.He was invited to become our salesman covering the area of
everywhere north of London up to Scotland.He was offered the comparative luxury of motor transport for this
job. The car was a 2 cylinder Jowett van, being most economical on
petrol, which was strictly rationed at the time.Peter left this job in the 1960s, having been a great success, to
help found Fern Plastic Products of which he was a Director and the
Meynell Company was a 33% shareholder.